Order

Family

Code 4

Code 6

ITIS

ILLUSTRATION

PHOTOS

CONSERVATION STATUS

The Herald Petrel has a small breeding range, estimated globally at less than 50,000 square kilometers. Native to Australia and nearby island nations, this bird prefers rocky areas as well as shrubland and marine ecosystems. The global population of this has not been determined exactly, but does not show signs of decline in range or size that would necessitate inclusion on the IUCN Red List. For this reason, the current evaluation status of the Herald Petrel is Least Concern.

Range and Habitat

Herald Petrel: These birds prefer water below the Equator but were recorded as far north as North Carolina where it is a rare but regular visitor in late spring to late summer. Breeds on Raine Island and other small cays in the Coral Sea. Mostly pelagic, spends its life at sea coming to nesting grounds only to breed. Prefers warm islands with soils suitable for nesting burrows.

Herald Petrel SONGS AND CALLS

Herald Petrel G5

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Call is a rapidly repeated "kyik-kyik-kyik".

Similar Sounding

Voice Text

"ki ki ki ki"

INTERESTING FACTS

In May 2007, a Herald Petrel tagged on Raine Island in 1984 was observed off the coast of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. This greatly increases the known life span and range of the species.

There are separate populations of Herald Petrel, one occurring in the south Pacific, the other occurring in the south Atlantic.

A group of petrels are collectively known as a "gallon" and a "tank" of petrels.

RANGE MAP NORTH AMERICA

About this North America Map

FAMILY DESCRIPTION

There are four families of seabirds in the PROCELLARIIFORMES (pronounced pro-sel-lehr-EYE-ih-FOR-meez), an order that includes the dainty storm-petrels, the huge albatrosses, and the shearwaters.

FAMILY TAXONOMY

The shearwaters are in the Procellariidae (pronounced pro-sel-lar-EYE-ih-dee), a family composed of eighty-five species in fourteen genera that roam all oceans of the world.

NORTH AMERICA

In North American waters, thirty-five species of shearwaters in six genera have been identified. Included among these are the thin-winged Pterodrama species of the deep waters such as the Black-capped Petrel, and the stocky, gull-like Northern Fulmar.

KNOWN FOR

Shearwaters are known for the prominent tube-like structures on their beaks that, as with all Procellariiformes, help remove excess sea water. Species such as the Sooty and Short-tailed Shearwaters are also known for their open water, low altitude gliding and tilting mode of flight on straight wings, the tips of which often slice or “shear” through the water’s surface.

PHYSICAL

Shearwaters are seabirds that are medium to large in size with elongated round bodies, medium length tails, long, pointed wings, and webbed feet adapted to their marine environment. Their bills are medium length, narrow, have a small hook on the tip, and are topped with tubular nasal structures.

COLORATION

This dull-colored family is plumaged in dark browns, black, white, and gray. Some species such as the Sooty Shearwater are all dark with silvery wing linings, while others such as the Great Shearwater are dark above and light below. The Black-capped Petrel and related species have gray and white plumage with bold black markings on the head, back, and wings.

GEOGRAPHIC HABITAT

Shearwaters are encountered in deep, marine waters off of both coasts with the deepest waters beyond the continental shelf favored by the petrels of the Pterodrama genus. They only occur on fresh water if blown inland by hurricanes, and on land are only likely to be encountered on northern cliffs and islets that are their breeding grounds.

MIGRATION

Some species undertake very long migrations from breeding areas in the Southern Hemisphere to the waters of the Northern Hemisphere.

HABITS

Shearwaters nest in colonies, and often occur in flocks when foraging. Fish, squid, crustaceans, and other food items are sometimes picked from the surface, but mostly obtained by diving into the water.

CONSERVATION

Populations of several species of shearwaters have been declining with subsequent listing as near-threatened or threatened; these declines likely linked to long-line fishing and global warming. Shearwaters are also easily threatened by disturbances at their breeding grounds.

INTERESTING FACTS

Shearwaters produce an oily substance in their stomachs that is fed to young and which can be vomited as a defense mechanism. Young birds high in fat and oil content are harvested by the Maori people in New Zealand where they are called, “muttonbirds”.

The pelagic is a type of bird whose habitat is on the open ocean rather than in a coastal region or on inland bodies of water (lakes, rivers). An example of a pelagic bird is the blacklegged kittiwake.